Amounts Of Sterols Research Articles

Synergism Effect of the Essential Oil from Ocimum basilicum var. Maria Bonita and Its Major Components with Fluconazole and Its Influence on Ergosterol Biosynthesis.

The aim of this study was to evaluate the activity of the EO and its major components of Ocimum basilicum var. Maria Bonita, a genetically improved cultivar, against the fluconazole sensitive and resistant strains of Candida albicans and Cryptococcus neoformans. Geraniol presented better results than the EO, with a low MIC (76 μg/mL against C. neoformans and 152 μg/mL against both Candida strains). The combination of EO, linalool, or geraniol with fluconazole enhanced their antifungal activity, especially against the resistant strain (MIC reduced to 156, 197, and 38 μg/mL, resp.). The ergosterol assay showed that subinhibitory concentrations of the substances were able to reduce the amount of sterol extracted. The substances tested were able to reduce the capsule size which suggests they have an important mechanism of action. Transmission electron microscopy demonstrated cell wall destruction of C. neoformans after treatment with subinhibitory concentrations. In C. albicans ultrastructure alterations such as irregularities in the membrane, presence of vesicles, and cell wall thickening were observed. The biofilm formation was inhibited in both C. albicans strains at MIC and twice MIC. These results provide further support for the use of O. basilicum EO and its major components as a potential source of antifungal agents.

Seed oil chemical composition of Platychaete aucheri (Boiss.) Boiss

Background: Platychaete aucheri is an endemic plant to the south of Iran and no phyochemical investigations is reported on the seeds oil. Materials and Methods: The chemical composition of Platychaete aucheri seeds oil was extracted by suxhelet apparatus, methyl esterificated and analyzed by GC and GC/MS spectroscopy method. Results: 16 compounds were determined in total and taraxasterol (19.0%), γ-sitosterol (14.1%) and lupeol (11.8%) were characterized as the most abundant components. Conclusion: Regarding the presence of high amounts of triterpenoids and sterols in the seed oil, related biological activities are expected from the studied oil.

Distribution and factors affecting adsorption of sterols in the surface sediments of Bosten Lake and Manas Lake, Xinjiang

This study investigated the concentrations and distribution of eight sterol compounds in the surface sediments of Bosten Lake and Manas Lake, Xinjiang, China. The ratios of sterols as diagnostic indices were used to identify pollution sources. The sediment of the two lakes was selected as an adsorbent to investigate the adsorption behaviour of sterols. Results showed that the sterols were widely distributed in the sediments of the lakes in the study areas. The total concentrations of the detected sterols in Bosten Lake and in Manas Lake were 1.584-27.897 and 2.048-18.373 μg g(-1)∙dw, respectively. In all of the sampling sites, the amount of faecal sterols was less than that of plant sterols. β-sitosterol was the dominant plant sterol with a mean concentration of 2.378 ± 2.234 μg g(-1)∙dw; cholesterol was the most abundant faecal sterol with a mean concentration of 1.060 ± 1.402 μg g(-1)∙dw. The pollution level was higher in Bosten Lake than in Manas Lake. Majority of the ratios clearly demonstrated that the contamination by human faecal sources was occurring at stations which are adjacent to residential areas and water inlets. The adsorption behaviour of sterols to sediment suggested that the sterol adsorption coefficients were reduced as temperature increased. As salinity increased, the adsorption quantity also increased. As pH increased, the sediment adsorption of sterol slightly increased because the strong alkaline solution is not conducive to the adsorption of sterols. The ratios between sterols did not change largely with the change in external factors.

Determination of serum brassicasterol in spontaneously hypertensive rats stroke‐prone fed a high‐ergosterol diet by ultra performance liquid chromatography

A method for the determination of ergosterol, brassicasterol, and cholesterol has been developed by ultra performance liquid chromatography with ultraviolet detection (UPLC‐UV). Using an ODS column and a mobile phase of acetonitrile‐water (95:5, v/v), we found that the peak area was linearly related to the amount of sterols injected, ranging from 1.5 to 100 μmol/L (r ≥ 0.998), except for cholesterol (2.5–400 μmol/L). Repeated injection showed that the relative standard deviation (RSD) at 50 μmol/L of sterols was less than 7.1% (intra‐day, n = 6) and 13% (inter‐day, n = 3). Ergosterol and brassicasterol in rat serum spiked at four concentration levels (16, 25, 100, 250 μmol/L) was determined by the internal standard (IS) method using campesterol as an IS with the recovery of more than 88.8% and the RSD (n = 5) of less than 12.5%.Practical applications: This method has been applied to determine the serum ergosterol and brassicasterol concentration in spontaneously hypertensive rats stroke‐prone (SHRSP rats) fed a high‐ergosterol diet containing 1% ergosterol. The results indicate that no apparent peak for ergosterol was observed, whereas the serum brassicasterol concentration was increased by the ergosterol‐feeding. Brassicasterol was confirmed by electrospray ionization triple quadrupole tandem mass spectrometry after derivatization to picolinyl esters. In addition, brassicasterol‐d1 was detected after oral administration of ergosterol‐d1 to SHRSP rats by ion‐trap time‐of‐flight mass spectrometry. Because SHRSP rats are known as an experimental animal model of phytosterolemia, it has been expected that ergosterol is absorbed and converted to brassicasterol. In summary, the current method provides an experimental tool to help understand ergosterol absorption and metabolism.A method for the determination of ergosterol, brassicasterol, and cholesterol has been developed by UPLC‐UV. We found that a high‐ergosterol diet induces the elevation of serum brassicasterol in SHRSP rats.

GC-MS method for determining faecal sterols as biomarkers of human and pastoral animal presence in freshwater sediments.

In order to determine sterols and stanols in freshwater sediments to reconstruct the past presence of humans and pastoral animals, we developed an analytical method based on pressurised liquid extraction (PLE), clean-up performed using solid phase extraction (SPE) and sterol determination using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) analysis. PLE extraction conditions were optimised using dichloromethane (DCM) and DCM/methanol mixtures. Clean-up was performed with 2 g silica SPE cartridges, and the concentrated extracts were eluted with 70 mL DCM. Extraction yield was evaluated using an in-house reference material spiked with (13)C-labelled cholesterol and aged for 10 days. In comparison with pre-extraction, where the sediment is extracted and then spiked with a known analyte concentration, this approach preserves the original composition of the sediment. DCM and DCM/methanol mixtures resulted in high extraction yields ranging from 86 to 92 % with good reproducibility (relative standard deviation (RSD) 5-8 %). PLE extraction yields obtained with DCM as the extracting solvent were about 1.5 times higher than extractions using an ultrasonic bath. The solvent extraction mixture and matrix composition strongly affected the solvent extraction composition where higher overall recoveries (70-80 %) for each compound were obtained with DCM. The extraction mixture and matrix composition also affected the analyte concentrations, resulting in a method precision ranging from 1 to 18 %. Diatomaceous earth spiked with 10 to 100 ng of sterols, and environmental samples fortified with suitable amounts of sterols provided apparent recovery values ranging from 90 to 110 %. We applied the method to environmental samples both close to and upstream from sewage discharge zones, resulting in substantially higher faecal sterol (FeSt) concentrations near the sewage. In addition, we also applied the method to a 37-cm freshwater sediment core in order to evaluate its applicability for obtaining vertical sterol profiles.

Comprehensive Assessment of Transcriptional Regulation Facilitates Metabolic Engineering of Isoprenoid Accumulation in Arabidopsis.

In plants, two spatially separated pathways provide the precursors for isoprenoid biosynthesis. We generated transgenic Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana) lines with modulated levels of expression of each individual gene involved in the cytosolic/peroxisomal mevalonate and plastidial methylerythritol phosphate pathways. By assessing the correlation of transgene expression levels with isoprenoid marker metabolites (gene-to-metabolite correlation), we determined the relative importance of transcriptional control at each individual step of isoprenoid precursor biosynthesis. The accumulation patterns of metabolic intermediates (metabolite-to-gene correlation) were then used to infer flux bottlenecks in the sterol pathway. The extent of metabolic cross talk, the exchange of isoprenoid intermediates between compartmentalized pathways, was assessed by a combination of gene-to-metabolite and metabolite-to-metabolite correlation analyses. This strategy allowed the selection of genes to be modulated by metabolic engineering, and we demonstrate that the overexpression of predictable combinations of genes can be used to significantly enhance flux toward specific end products of the sterol pathway. Transgenic plants accumulating increased amounts of sterols are characterized by significantly elevated biomass, which can be a desirable trait in crop and biofuel plants.

Lipid composition of biomass of streptomyces under the effect of electromagnetic radiation of the millimeter range of low intensity

The influence of electromagnetic radiation of the mm range of low intensity on lipid fractions in the biomass of strains Streptomyces canosus CNMN-Ac-02 and Streptomyces massasporeus CNMN-AC-06 was studied. The investigations showed different reactions to the impact of the physical factor, which can be explained by individual features of the studied strains. A decrease in total amount of lipids, and a sharp increase of the amount of phospholipids and sterols in biomass of S. canosus CNMN-Ac-02 occurred, whereas in the biomass of Streptomyces massasporeus CNMN-Ac-06, the synthesis of total lipids significantly increased, and the amount of phospholipids and sterols increased slightly.

Pavlova lutheri is a high-level producer of phytosterols

Plant sterols are well-known for their ability to reduce low density lipoprotein (LDL)-cholesterol and promote cardiovascular health, as well as anti-inflammatory, anti-atherogenicity, anti-cancer and anti-oxidative activities and protection against nervous system disorders. As considerable amounts of phytosterols are present in microalgae, we screened out of hundreds of Australian isolates, ten microalgal species for sterol profiles and total sterol content. The top three sterol producers at 0.4–2.6% dry weight were Pavlova lutheri, Tetraselmis sp. M8 and Nannochloropsis sp. BR2. To further increase sterol accumulation, the highest sterol producer, P. lutheri was subjected to nutrient and salinity changes. Although no significant immediate effects were observed for altered total sterol contents, individual sterols varied and, significantly higher total sterol amounts (up to a 2-fold increase) were found after prolonged cultivation. Total sterol accumulation of 5.1% dry weight was achieved in P. lutheri. Combined with the high areal productivity, commercial phytosterol production from microalgae could be considered.

Composition of Plant Sterols and Stanols in Supplemented Food Products.

All fruits, vegetables, grains and other plant materials contain small amounts of plant sterols, which are essential for the function of the biological membranes in living cells. The average human consumption of plant sterols has been estimated to be about 150-350 mg/day and trace amounts of stanols (which are defined as saturated sterols such as sitostanol), but this number varies regionally and is higher for vegetarians. When consumed in the diet, plant sterols reduce the levels of serum cholesterol. In 1995 the first functional food product, Benecol spread (enriched in plant stanol fatty acid esters), was developed by Raisio and marketed, first in Finland and then globally. Since then many other functional food products have been developed and are now available globally. In addition to stanol esters, other functional food products contain plant sterol esters and/or free (unesterified) plant sterols and stanols. In essentially all of the current functional foods that are enriched in sterols and stanols, the feedstock from which the sterols and stanols are obtained is either tall oil (a byproduct/coproduct of the pulping of pine wood) or vegetable oil deodorizer distillate (a byproduct/coproduct of the refining of vegetable oils).

Lipophilic phytochemicals from elderberries (Sambucus nigra L.): Influence of ripening, cultivar and season

The chemical composition of the lipophilic extracts of three Portuguese elderberries cultivars belonging to the Sambucus nigra L. species (‘Bastardeira’, ‘Sabugueira’ and ‘Sabugueiro’), was studied by gas chromatography–mass spectrometry. The influence of the harvesting season (2012 and 2013), cultivar and the ripening stage was evaluated. Regarding the amount of lipophilic extractives, they ranged from 0.56% to 1.84% of the dry weight. The major chemical families present in these fractions were triterpenoids and fatty acids accounting with 84.9–93.8% and 4.3–11.4% of the total amount of lipophilic components, respectively. The most abundant compounds, identified as elderberries components were ursolic and oleanolic acids, followed by smaller amounts of long chain aliphatic alcohols and sterols. During ripening, a similar profile of the studied chemical families was found for the two sampling seasons and the three cultivars, with an initial growth of their content followed by a systematic decrease until maturity, yet, a higher lipophilic content (p<0.05) is reported for the 2013 harvest. Regarding mature elderberries, ‘Sabugueira’ and ‘Bastardeira’ showed higher contents of lipophilics, and particularly of triterpenic acids (p<0.05), for the two sampling years. In-depth study of elderberries, lipophilic extractives can contribute to the valuation of this natural product, being in this study highlighted the profile of these bioactive compounds, as well, the parameters that affect their content. Additionally, since considerable amounts of unripe and overripe elderberries are produced on harvesting, and that our results showed considerable amounts of lipophilics for both ripening stages, this highlights that these wastes can be seen as a promising sources for the preparation of lipophilic extracts enriched in bioactive compounds.

Effects ofSchistosoma mansoniand high temperature on the lipid composition ofBiomphalaria glabrataas determined by high-performance thin-layer chromatography and densitometry

Silica gel high-performance thin-layer chromatography (HPTLC) was used to study the effects of both Schistosoma mansoni infection and high temperatures on the neutral and polar lipid content of whole bodies of Biomphalaria glabrata snails. Neutral lipids were determined using petroleum ether-diethyl ether-glacial acetic acid (80:20:1) mobile phase, phosphomolybdic acid detection reagent, densitometry at 610 nm, and polar lipids with chloroform-methanol-water (65:25:4) mobile phase, cupric sulfate-phosphoric acid reagent, and scanning at 370 nm. The high-temperature experiments were done at ambient (22–24°C), 28°C, and 34°C. Snails were maintained at these temperatures for 7 days prior to necropsy. Extracts of their bodies were then analyzed by HPTLC to determine changes that occurred in the lipid content as a function of temperature and to compare unexposed to exposed cultures at each temperature. At 4 weeks postinfection (PI), the 34°C exposed snails had significantly lower amounts of free sterols than t...

Mechanisms of growth inhibition of Phytomonas serpens by the alkaloids tomatine and tomatidine.

Phytomonas serpens are flagellates in the family Trypanosomatidae that parasitise the tomato plant (Solanum lycopersicum L.), which results in fruits with low commercial value. The tomato glycoalkaloid tomatine and its aglycone tomatidine inhibit the growth of P. serpens in axenic cultures. Tomatine, like many other saponins, induces permeabilisation of the cell membrane and a loss of cell content, including the cytosolic enzyme pyruvate kinase. In contrast, tomatidine does not cause permeabilisation of membranes, but instead provokes morphological changes, including vacuolisation. Phytomonas treated with tomatidine show an increased accumulation of labelled neutral lipids (BODYPY-palmitic), a notable decrease in the amount of C24-alkylated sterols and an increase in zymosterol content. These results are consistent with the inhibition of 24-sterol methyltransferase (SMT), which is an important enzyme that is responsible for the methylation of sterols at the 24 position. We propose that the main target of tomatidine is the sterols biosynthetic pathway, specifically, inhibition of the 24-SMT. Altogether, the results obtained in the present paper suggest a more general effect of alkaloids in trypanosomatids, which opens potential therapeutic possibilities for the treatment of the diseases caused by these pathogens.

Antibody Induced PLAP Endocytosis is Dependent on the Structure and Amount of Sterols in Cellular Plasma Membrane

Cell membranes are believed to contain lipid rafts which are ordered membrane domains rich in sphingolipids and sterols. Many studies investigating the functional role of lipid rafts are performed by removal of cholesterol from plasma membranes. However, it is uncertain whether the functional changes observed are due to altered raft levels or a more specific cholesterol-dependent effect. To distinguish these cases, we carried out sterol substitution experiments using methyl-β-cyclodextrin with a variety of raft formation-stabilizing and raft formation-destabilizing sterols. This approach was then applied to antibody-induced placental alkaline phosphatase (PLAP)-endocytosis. This process is cholesterol-dependent, but the mechanism of the cholesterol dependence is not known. Sterol depletion and substitution was carried out in MDA-MB-231 cells stably transfected with PLAP. After substitution, cholesterol-depletion and sterol-substitution were confirmed by HP-TLC. To define the effect of sterols on membrane structure TMADPH was added to the cells and fluorescence anisotropy measured. TMADPH anisotropy reflects plasma membrane lipid packing, and high values should be correlated with higher raft levels. Compared to untreated cells, cholesterol-depletion decreased anisotropy as expected. Subsequent replacement of cholesterol or dihydrocholesterol increased anisotropy to a similar or slightly higher level than that prior to depletion, consistent with restoration of raft levels, while anisotropy was somewhat lower with epicholesterol and much lower with lanosterol. Next, antibody-induced PLAP endocytosis was visualized by immunofluorescence. Only substitution with cholesterol restored PLAP internalization levels to an extent similar to untreated control. Decreasing cholesterol or substitution of cholesterol with other sterols inhibited internalization. This suggests that specific details of sterol structure are likely to be more important than tightness of lipid packing or raft levels in plasma membrane for antibody-induced PLAP endocytosis.

Parenteral lipid emulsions in guinea pigs differentially influence plasma and tissue levels of fatty acids, squalene, cholesterol, and phytosterols.

Lipid emulsions are made by mixing vegetable and/or fish oils with egg yolk and contain different types and amounts of fatty acids and sterols. This study assessed the effects of oral diet, soybean oil (SO)-, fish oil (FO)-, a mixture of olive and soybean oil (OOSO)-, and a mixture of fish, olive, coconut, and soybean oil (FOCS)-based emulsions on plasma triacylglycerols and plasma and tissue fatty acid and sterol content following acute and chronic intravenous administration in the guinea pig. Upon acute administration, peak triacylglycerols were highest with SO and lowest with OOSO. Upon chronic administration, the plasma triglyceride levels did not increase in any group over that of the controls. Fatty acid levels varied greatly between organs of animals on the control diets and organs of animalsfollowing acute or chronic lipid administration. Squalene levels increased in plasma following acute administration of OOSO, but plasma squalene levels were similar to control in all emulsion groups following chronic administration. Total plasma phytosterol levels were increased in the SO, OOSO, and FOCS groups following both acute and chronic infusions, whereas phytosterols were not increased following FO infusion. Total phytosterol levels were higher in liver, lung, kidney and adipose tissue following SO and OOSO. Levels were not increased in tissues after FO and FOCS infusion. These results indicate that fatty acid and sterol contents vary greatly among organs and that no one tissue reflects the fatty acid or sterol composition of other tissues, suggesting that different organs regulate these compounds differently.

EFFECTS OF HIGH AND LOW TEMPERATURES ON THE LIPID CONTENT OF THE DIGESTIVE GLAND-GONAD COMPLEX OF BIOMPHALARIA GLABRATA AS DETERMINED BY HIGH PERFORMANCE THIN LAYER CHROMATOGRAPHY

High performance thin-layer chromatography (HPTLC) was used to study the effects of both high and low temperatures on the neutral and polar lipid content of the digestive gland-gonad complex (DGG) of Biomphalaria glabrata snails. The low temperature experiments were performed at −10°C, 6°C, 14°C, and ambient (22–24°C) temperatures. The high temperature experiments were performed at ambient (22–24°C), 28°C, and 32°C. Snails were maintained at these temperatures for various periods of time and then their DGGs were examined by HPTLC methods to determine changes that occurred in the lipid content as a function of temperature. In the low temperature experiment, after 30 min, the snails maintained at ambient temperature had significantly greater amounts of phosphatidylcholine and phosphatidylethanolamine than those maintained at cold temperatures. These findings suggest that cold temperatures had a detrimental effect on the structural lipids of the snails. In the high temperature study, at 4 weeks after the initiation of the experiment, snails maintained at the ambient temperatures had significantly greater amounts of free sterols than those maintained at the higher temperatures. These findings suggest that high temperatures had a deleterious effect on the lipid metabolism of the snails.

Lipid and fatty acid profile of the edible fungus Laetiporus sulphurous. Antifungal and antibacterial properties.

Laetiporus sulphureus is a saprophyte belonging to a specific group of wood-decomposing Basidiomycetes growing on deciduous trees. This fungus has been characterized as a herbal medicine and is also known for its antimicrobial properties. In the present study, high energy extraction techniques using different solvents were compared to obtain maximum yield of the edible fungus Laetiporus sulphureus total lipids. The lipid classes and fatty acid composition of the fruiting bodies' total lipids has been studied using GC-FID and Iatroscan TLC-FID analysis. Among the lipids, the neutral lipids predominated followed by phospholipids and glycolipids. Triglycerides were the most abundant in the neutral lipid fraction, whereas phosphatidylcholine in phospholipids. The existence of relatively high amount of sterols may be correlated to fungus pharmaceutical properties. Total lipids were found to contain high unsaturated degree fatty acids (UFA/SFA>3.4) and dominated of C18:2ω-6, C18:1ω-9 and C16:0 fatty acids. Antibacterial and antifungal properties of mushrooms' lipid extracts from two different solvents were also examined. Results indicated that hexane extracts possessed better antifungal and slightly better antibacterial activity compared to chloroform extracts though both were less active than the commercial antimicrobial agents.

Impact of interfacial cholesterol-anchored polyethylene glycol on sterol-rich non-phospholipid liposomes

HypothesisLiposomes made of single-chain amphiphiles and a large amount of sterols display several advantages including a limited permeability. In the present paper, we examine the possibility to prepare such non-phospholipid liposomes with interfacial polyethylene glycol (PEG) in order to improve their circulation in the blood stream. Cholesterol (Chol) was chosen as the PEG anchor. ExperimentsThe phase behavior of mixtures of palmitic acid (PA) and cholesterol including various proportions of PEGylated cholesterol (PEG-Chol) was characterized. In conditions leading to the formation of fluid bilayers, properties of the resulting liposomes were assessed. FindingsUp to 20mol% of PEGylated cholesterol could be introduced without significant perturbations in fluid bilayers made of PA and cholesterol. With 10mol% PEG-Chol, PA/Chol/PEG-Chol liposomes showed a very limited permeability to calcein and doxorubicin. Doxorubicin could be actively loaded in PA/Chol/PEG-Chol liposomes with a high drug loading efficiency and a high drug to lipid ratio. Pharmaco-kinetic experiments in rats indicated that interfacial PEG reduced the clearance of PA/Chol liposomes compared to the naked ones. However the lifetime of these non-phospholipid liposomes in the blood circulation was considerably shorter than that observed for control PEGylated phospholipid liposomes, a phenomenon associated with the negative interfacial charge of the PA/Chol/PEG-Chol liposomes.

Host-to-pathogen gene transfer facilitated infection of insects by a pathogenic fungus.

Metarhizium robertsii is a plant root colonizing fungus that is also an insect pathogen. Its entomopathogenicity is a characteristic that was acquired during evolution from a plant endophyte ancestor. This transition provides a novel perspective on how new functional mechanisms important for host switching and virulence have evolved. From a random T-DNA insertion library, we obtained a pathogenicity defective mutant that resulted from the disruption of a sterol carrier gene (Mr-npc2a). Phylogenetic analysis revealed that Metarhizium acquired Mr-npc2a from an insect by horizontal gene transfer (HGT). Mr-NPC2a binds to cholesterol, an animal sterol, rather than the fungal sterol ergosterol, indicating it retains the specificity of insect NPC2 proteins. Mr-NPC2a is an intracellular protein and is exclusively expressed in the hemolymph of living insects. The disruption of Mr-npc2a reduced the amount of sterol in cell membranes of the yeast-like hyphal bodies that facilitate dispersal in the host body. These were consequently more susceptible to insect immune responses than the wild type. Transgenic expression of Mr-NPC2a increased the virulence of Beauveria bassiana, an endophytic insect-pathogenic fungus that lacks a Mr-NPC2a homolog.

Molecular and isotopic characterization of lipids staining bone and antler tools in the Late Neolithic settlement, Zurich Opera Parking, Switzerland

Excellently preserved animal bone and antler artifacts are numerous among the archaeological finds in Neolithic Alpine lakeshore settlements. Use-wear and production traces on the surface of these artifacts include cuttings and hammer or grinding traces; there are also large bright and shiny areas. We have explored the origin of such shiny surfaces using molecular and isotopic analysis of the lipids staining freshly unearthed and non-conserved bone and antler artifacts from a recent excavation at the underground parking garage of Zurich Opera House (Switzerland), dating to ca. 3230–2729 BC. A set of 10 artifacts, covering distinct osteological and typological features, was selected for study. The lipids were extracted separately from the surfaces of the tapered thinner working part and the wider handling area of each tool. The lipid distribution was characterized by a significant amount of animal sterols (cholesterol, cholestanol, coprostanol and epicholestanol), wax n-alkanes, n-alkan-1-ols and phytosterols (β-sitosterol, sitostanol) and abundant saturated, mono- and polyunsaturated fatty acids (FAs) in the C14–C26 range. The δ13C values of the main FAs, and the relatively high C18:2 content (up to 31% of total FAs) and significant content of C18:3 (up to 6%) indicated that the lipids on the surface of the artifacts were a mixture of C3 plant oils rich in linoleic acid and (indigenous) animal lipids. The results provide evidence for the archaeological hypothesis that the bone and antler artifacts were specific tools which were deliberately fashioned, and pretreated and maintained with a preservative material based on plant oil likely from seeds of Linum usitatissimum (flax) and Papaver somniferum (poppy), with probably some contribution from Corylus avellana (hazelnut) and Brassica rapa (turnip).

Adaptogenic studies of acetone extract of Musa paradisiaca L. fruit peels in albino Wistar rats

Rationale: The present study deals with the evaluation of antistress activity in acetone extracts of M.paradisiaca unripe fruit peels and acetone extracts of M.paradisiaca ripe fruit peels (AURMP, ARMP) with special reference to stress induced depression in animal models. The presence of high amounts of plant sterols and triterpenoids in the peels are expected to reduce the cholesterol level and the modulating effect of cholesterol in the stress and chronic depression. The potentially high antioxidant activity in peel extracts is hypothesized to produce the adaptogenic activity. Materials and Methods: The anoxia stress was evaluated on the 7 th , 14 th , and 21 st day, one hour after the AURMP and ARMP treatment in the anoxia stress model. The swimming endurance stress was assessed as the mean swimming time on 8 th day following AURMP and ARMP treatment. The antidepressant activity was measured using open field and forced swim test (FST) following chronic variable stress (CVS) model. The level of tryptophan in brain was estimated ex vivo by HPLC technique. Results: The mean endurance time was increased significantly by AURMP (39.17 ± 1.88) treatment (P < 0.01) alone in comparison with the control in swimming endurance test. The anoxia stress model also showed significant (P < 0.001) antidepressant activity for AURMP and ARMP. Both AURMP and ARMP had suppressed the stress induced by CVS model and this was evidenced from the results of FST and open-field test confirming antidepressant activity. It is concluded that the AURMP and ARMP had shown promising antistress activity.